After missing almost two months, Kevin Durant was back. And he was brilliant.
And triumphant.
Durant’s return from a hamstring injury lifted the Nets to another level in a 139-111 series for the Pelicans ahead of 1,773 at Barclays Center. The victory raised the Nets (36-16) in first place in the Eastern Conference, a semifinal ahead of the 76ers.
While James Harden watched from the bench with a thigh muscle strain, Durant came back after missing 23 games on the road with his own thigh muscle. Wednesday was his first action since Feb. 13 in Golden State, and his first game as a Net in front of Brooklyn’s fans.
Durant failed last season with the repair of a torn Achilles, and COVID-19 forced the Nets to start this season without fans at Barclays Center. The fans’ first taste of their star player was sweet. Durant had 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists (and was a plus-17) in just 19 minutes off the bench. He also had six turnovers.
“I expected to get out here and play like I played. I did not try to facilitate the game. I just wanted to go out there and dive directly into the action, ”Durant said. “It was also good to play in front of the fans as well.”
Kyrie Irving had 24 points and six assists, and LaMarcus Aldridge added 22 points. But Durant was perfect from the floor (5-for-5), from outside the 3-point arc (2-for-2) and from the charity line (5-for-5). In true MVP fashion, he opened up the game to everyone else.
Coach Steve Nash brought him off the bench to manage his minutes in case the game was close. He does not have to worry about the way the Nets blew out New Orleans. The Nets shot 55.4 percent, were 19-for-41 from deep and led by as many as 38 points.
‘Everyone is excited to see him, what a big part of our team is he? “And he’s one of the greatest of all time, and our guys definitely gave him a boost to see him out there, ‘” Nash said. “We had a lot this year, guys in and out. So it was nice to have him back.
‘It was a long absence that no one predicted, even when it first happened. So we are very happy that he felt good, he played well and he is back. And to see that smile on his face for me too. So, just excited for him. He loves the game more, and he needs to be there to play. ”
By the time Durant picked up his warm-ups and streamed to the scorer’s table in the second quarter, the Nets were already in control. When he clocked in at half time with 7:37 – to a loud roar – they lead 53-44.
Durant made a U-turn from Irving to set up the Nets 6-42 at halftime 58-46 and send them to the race.
From the time Durant clocked in until halftime, the Nets hit 8 of 12 shots to close the half on a 26-15 run.
“If we move our body and move the basketball like we did, and we talk in defense, it’s nice out there,” Durant said. ‘You have veteran players who know how to play and it feels like these guys can complete my sentence before I’m done. These guys know the game from the inside out. ”
By the time he sat back with 4:46 left in the third, the Nets had set up an extended run of 48-30, which stretched over the break. They shot a mischievous 17-for-22 with Durant on the floor during the long offensive assault.
‘You can see I think there’s a lot of potential there. It’s not hard to play basketball with Kevin Durant. He’s going to make guys better, “said Nash.
“After missing two months and coming back and looking so comfortable, it’s just crazy,” Blake Griffin said. “But when it comes to playing with him, such players, some of the guys we have, they just make the game easy.”
The Nets opened their lead to 120-82 early in the fourth on a 3 by Chris Chiozza, and the rest of the game was rubbish.